


Payback and Promises

by TigStripe



Series: End of an Era [7]
Category: Star Wars, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Damsel in Distress (Poe), Finn leads the charge, Forgiveness, Gen, M/M, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-08 07:16:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13453197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigStripe/pseuds/TigStripe
Summary: Finn leads the assault against Kylo Ren's flagship, theAscendency, in order to get Poe back and deliver a blow to the First Order it won't soon forget.





	1. Finn, the Leader

“Are we ready?” Finn asked from his spot behind the pilot's seat. Rose began her triple check on the shuttle's stealth systems. She nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

“Blue Squadron, ready,” Finn heard over the comms. It was followed by “Red Squadron, ready,” and “Infiltration team, ready.”

“ _Assurance,_ prep for lightspeed,” Finn commanded.

“Yes, Captain.”

The familiar lurch of warp travel caused Finn to recenter himself as he stood resolute. This mission was _his_. This was his chance to really make the Order hurt for _everything_ they've done to him over the course of his entire life. Really, it was a chance to make them pay for what they'd done to the galaxy as a whole.

“Listen up,” Finn said over the comms. “It won't take long for them to react to our presence. As soon as we've landed in subspace, our fighters need to deploy. We've given the coordinates of our assault to Yavin Base, and we'll be getting reinforcements eventually, but we can't rely on that. Keep your eyes and ears open.

“We don't know what we're going to find over there. I _Ascendancy_ isn't as big as the _Supremacy_ , but Kylo Ren isn't exactly predictable. The data we recovered from the second Starkiller base suggests there will be at least three cruisers on guard around the _Ascendancy_. Our goal is to take out those cruisers as quickly as possible. Bombing team, are you up for it?”

“We've got this, Captain.”

“Red Squadron's got bombing run defense detail,” Finn ordered. “Blue Squadron's goal is to distract the other cruisers that the bombers _aren't_ hitting.”

“What about the _Ascendancy_ , Captain?”

“The _Assurance_ will provide as much cover fire as it can from a safe distance,” Finn replied. “Our more nimble fighters, you know who you are, will engage the _Ascendancy_ 's fighter squadrons up close to give them more difficulty in firing on our slower fighters or the _Assurance_.”

Finn paused. “Are there any questions?”

“What about taking out the _Ascendancy_ if we have the chance?” Jess asked.

Finn hesitated. “If that opportunity shows itself, take it,” he said. “Those on board will have to be aware of that chance. But remember,” he added, “our primary goal here is _distraction and_ _disability_. We want to cripple the inner circle of the Order like Vice Admiral Holdo did over Crait. Even an organization as powerful as the Order can't easily recover from two setbacks that severe. That being said, your lives are more important than anyone in the Order. _Survive_ above all costs.”

“Why not just launch another cruiser at them in lightspeed?” Jess joked.

There was a scattering of nervous laughter over the comms. Finn smiled. _Good. Loosen them up, Jess._

“Once the Infiltration team is on the _Ascendancy_ , we won't be able to communicate with the fighter squadrons,” Finn reminded everyone. “Blue Leader, Red Leader, you're in charge out there. Keep your folks alive.”

“Roger that,” Snap said.

“Got it,” Karé said.

Rey stood leaning up against the shuttle's bulkhead, her arms crossed and a content smile on her face as Finn finished his commands.

“May the Force be with us,” Finn said. For once, he really meant it.

Rey slowly clapped as Finn turned off the comms. “That was incredible,” she said. “You're a real leader, Finn. Made me think I was watching the General.”

Finn shook his head. “Thanks, but I just want this mission to be over and for us to get home.”

“We'll get him back,” Rey said reassuringly.

Finn smiled, but shook his head once again. “This mission isn't about Poe anymore, Rey. We have a real shot at hurting the First Order. First their manufacturing depot, and now an all-out assault against their flagship? We won't have information like this again, likely ever. I'll get Poe back, but the real mission is the damage we can do to the Order.”

The look on Rey's face agreed with that assessment. She looked over at Rose. “Rose, was there any information in that data we recovered about the Knights of Ren?”

Rose grinned. “I didn't expect there to be, but we actually know where each of them are. The one you beat on Yavin is currently being held on the _Ascendancy_ as a punishment. The one you just met is obviously en route there, but we may beat him there. But the others are stationed on worlds throughout First Order space. It's _just_ Kylo Ren on the _Ascendancy_.”

Finn raised his eyebrows. “That's incredible luck,” he said. He looked at Rey. “Do you think we could persuade that one to defect?”

Rey shrugged. “I doubt it, but there's no hurt in trying if we see him.”

“So what's the plan when we get on the _Ascendancy_ , Captain?” a Lieutenant on the infiltration squad asked.

“You all book it for the main command station to shut down as much as you can on the ship,” Finn replied. “Schematics have been uploaded to your wrist computers. We also need to get Rey to Kylo Ren's quarters so she can take him out. But I'm headed for the jail block for Poe.”

“We're not in disguises,” Rey noted. “Expect trouble the moment we touch down.”

“That's not reassuring,” the Lieutenant replied with a chuckle.

“We're not all getting out of this,” Finn said solemnly. “But maybe – _just maybe_ – we can take more from the Order than they take from us today.”

The rest of the trip to the system holding the _Ascendancy_ was spent discussing possible plans on the ship itself, as well as coordinating strike assaults with the bombing team and Blue and Red squadrons. Finally, everyone felt like it was truly ready to begin the attack.

 

“Entering subspace in three. Two. One.”

The familiar lurch of the cruiser exiting lightspeed caused Finn to steady himself once more.

“Red Squadron, Blue Squadron, deploy,” Finn heard someone from the cruiser's bridge order. He was silently glad he didn't have to coordinate past this point – he had something else to concentrate on, after all.

Snap and Karé led their respective squadrons out into the open void of space, fielding almost forty fighters against the impending might of the First Order's squadrons. From his place in the hangar, Finn could see the _Ascendancy_ and two defending cruisers in the distance. Kylo Ren's ship was only half the size of the _Supremacy_ , but it was still an imposing sight, dwarfing the cruisers next to it. Finn felt his pulse quicken as the Resistance fighters rocketed away from the safety of the cruiser.

“TIEs incoming,” Snap announced.

“Infiltration team, begin preparations,” the orders came from the bridge. Rey prepped the shuttle for disembarking alongside three other Infiltration craft, each filled with eight to twelve Resistance members. With the _Assurance_ 's help, this was a full-blown invasion force. As the craft lifted off the hangar floor, Finn felt the cold chill of adrenaline flood his system.

The shuttles jettisoned themselves out into space. Finn saw the red and green flashes of laser fire in the distance, some of which arced towards the shuttles. The _Ascendancy_ loomed behind the light show, with the cruisers floating out in front.

“Here's hoping those new shield generators are worth what we paid for them,” a technician said nervously. Finn silently agreed – the Resistance had used considerable donation funds to commission small shield generators for their transport shuttles after what happened over Crait. It was this technology that they now trusted their lives to as they slowly approached the single most deadly place in the galaxy.

“We're almost in range of the stealth detection systems,” Rose announced. “All shuttles, ready your spikes.”

The shuttles lined up as closely as they could and pressed onward.

“Ready. Now.”

Finn saw Rose go to town on the console in front of her as she and the other two slicers attacked the stealth detection system of the _Ascendancy_ and nearby cruisers. It was a stroke of luck that there wasn't a third cruiser to detect them, Finn realized.

“Stealth detection down,” Rose announced. “We're in.”

“Initiate radio silence,” Finn ordered. The random call outs from the starfighters outside stopped immediately.

The shuttles carefully approached the _Ascendancy_ , silently and without many systems active – they wanted this to be as much of a surprise as possible. They approached an opened hangar, which looked to Finn to have been almost completely emptied of star fighters. Only a few transports remained docked, with two visible TIE fighters tethered to the hangar for repairs.

“Get ready,” Finn said, his blaster prepped at his side.

The transports settled down in the hangar without incident. First Order staff looked at them in confusion. One started shouting at a nearby squad of Stormtroopers. They reacted instantly, like the good little soldiers they were, by firing on the shuttles, but the blaster fire deflected harmlessly off their shields. Finn saw Rose celebrate right before slamming the door latch on her console.

The shuttle doors opened simultaneously on all three craft. Out poured the Resistance. Blaster fire from within the shuttles' shields decimated the Stormtrooper squad and took out two of the nearby Order officers. Thirty or so sets of feet surged forward, toward a nearby entrance that Finn knew would lead them to a hallway that ran most of the length of the ship. By the time they reached the doorway, Finn knew the entire ship was aware of the breach.

Rose sliced the door in seconds, and Finn waved the Resistance through. “We know our roles,” he cried as his friends and allies passed him. “Let's do this!”

 

This was Poe's second time in a holding cell within the First Order, but this one seemed much more reserved than the one aboard the _Supremacy_. It was probably a temporary brig, a holding place for prisoners who would later be taken to interrogation.

Poe shuddered. Even the _word_ interrogation brought back memories of Kylo Ren probing his mind for Luke's location. That had been the most drastic invasion of privacy Poe had ever known. Considering some of the other things he had been through with the Resistance, it didn't surprise Poe that he'd had only a mild case of persistent trauma involving the situation during his time on Yavin Base, but it was definitely bubbling up to the front now.

Poe's mouth went dry and he started shivering, the images of Kylo Ren flashing through his mind. He shook his head and pressed his palms up against his eyes, but he moved them away from his face when he heard a faint voice. The Stormtrooper guard down the hall was speaking into his helmet. Poe leaned forward and strained to hear.

“Affirmative. West block is secure. No, sir, no confirmation of rebels here.”

Poe narrowed his eyes. _Did he just say-_

“I still have Commander Dameron in this block, awaiting transport to the interrogation block. Requesting additional guards until the intruders are dealt with.”

 _Intruders!_ Poe couldn't believe his ears. _They're assaulting Kylo Ren's flagship? Are they_ insane _?_

Wait.

 _Multiple intruders._ Poe's heart nearly stopped. _Finn. That bastard._

Poe took a deep breath. His friends were coming for him, and it sounds like they came in force. There was probably a distraction outside the ship, maybe every single fighter the Resistance had. The General either didn't know about the operation, or approved it for Poe's sake. That gave Poe a pang of guilt, but he shook it off.

He couldn't help as long as he was in this cell, but the ship was immense. The Resistance probably had little idea of where he was located. Poe knew he was in the west block, but how could he get a message to them?

Then, it occurred to him: if Finn was on the ship, that meant Rey was on the ship. Poe shrugged, knowing what he had to do. He had never considered himself Force-sensitive, but his best bet now was to rely on old Jedi tricks he knew nothing about.

He closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could muster: _Rey. West cell block. Rey. West cell block._ He chanted it in his head, not sure if his words would reach her, but it was better than sitting there, reliving his torture with Kylo Ren.

He had to get out of this cell. He _had_ to get back to Finn and the others.

 

The Resistance surged into the hallway and took cover from the Stormtroopers patrolling the corridor before firing on them madly. It was hardly a battle, and soon the invasion force split into its individual teams.

“Do we have any idea where Poe would be held?” Rose asked as she, Rey, Finn, and two Resistance fighters hid in a large indent in the bulkhead. The other teams had split off and were already causing a ruckus.

“I don't think he's had enough time to be taken to Kylo Ren yet. That means he's probably being held in one of these two cell blocks. Here or here,” Finn said, indicating the schematics on his wrist device. “One of those is really close, and the other one is on the far side of the ship.”

“Do we just check the closer one first?” Rose asked.

“That's all we can do,” Finn replied.

Rey suddenly reached over and grabbed Finn's other wrist. She was staring off at a wall like it wasn't there. Finn looked at her, confused.

“I see Poe,” she whispered, her eyes wide. “I can see his cell. He's...muttering something. I can't hear him.”

“What?” Finn was astounded. He'd only had limited experience with the Force before joining Rey in her adventures, and now nothing failed to surprise him. “What about his mouth? What's it doing?”

Rey impersonated Poe's mouth movements as well as she could. It was messy, and Finn shook his head.

“I don't know what the means,” Rose said. “Maybe he's having some bad flashbacks from before?”

Rey shook her head, still not blinking. “No,” she said flatly. “This is different. He's _reaching out to me._ I can feel it. He knows we're here.”

Rose referred to her schematics of the ship. “Can you feel it stronger in a single direction?” she asked. “We're between the two cell blocks. If you can get a bearing, we know which way to go.”

Rey raised a pointed finger. “That way,” she said, finally blinking herself out of her reverie. “He's that way.”

Finn readied his blaster. “Then let's go start a jail break.”

 


	2. Finn, the Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn, Rose, and Rey infiltrate the _Ascendancy_ in an attempt to find Poe. Everything goes...a little too perfectly.

The sound of blaster fire reverberated down the hallway as Finn, Rose, Rey, and the other Resistance members charged down the main corridor of the _Ascendancy_. Rey pinpointed the general direction of Poe's cell block to be on the other side of the ship, which meant they had a few kilometers of hostile Stormtroopers and automated defenses to break through.

The Stormtroopers generally weren't a problem. Either Finn would shoot first and they'd fall, or their shots would be deflected by Rey's lightsaber, _then_ Finn would shoot and they'd fall. Every now and then, they would encounter an automated turret mounted on a wall of the corridor. Rose had been practicing her slicing since Crait, and had no problems with remotely accessing the turrets' controls. She'd even set them to fire on Stormtroopers. With the other foot soldiers watching their backs, the trio surged on ahead.

At long last, they reached a sealed bulkhead that Finn couldn't access with his knowledge of Order protocol. They heard the marching of Troopers behind them and pressed their backs against the bulkhead.

“Rose, can you get it?” Rey asked, readying her lightsaber. She sighed. Deflecting all these shots was going to be hell on her shoulders, she just knew it.

“Not me,” Rose shook her head. “But I know someone who can.” She tapped a few buttons on her wrist console, drew out a wire from a hidden compartment underneath it, and plugged it into the bulkhead's console to the side of the hallway. “You're up, BB-8.”

Finn gave Rose a confused look. “BB-8?”

“Remote uplink,” Rose replied with a grin. The bulkhead unsealed almost instantly. “We've got droid power whenever we need it.”

The Resistance moved through the opened bulkhead, then Rose resealed it behind them and used a Resistance encryption on the console to make it more difficult to follow them. When she gave the signal, they booked it further down the hallway.

“We're in a higher security section of the ship,” Finn told them as they stopped for their breath in a small supply room. “There's not likely to be many Stormtroopers in the hallways here, but they're going to be a lot of surveillance. We won't be able to hide if we go much further.”

“It's not like we were really hiding to begin with,” one of their escorts said. “We _did_ just hack a bulkhead. That has to have made some waves in the chain of command.”

Finn gave Rey a questioning look. She shook her head, giving Finn a little peace of mind. Kylo Ren hadn't made any moves to intercept them himself. The moment he entered the picture, their plan would have to shift considerably.

“Ready for the next stretch?” Finn asked. “We need to get out to the west wing of the corridor. It's probably a good two-kilometer run.”

“That's all?” Rose asked breathlessly. She was a little red in the face from all the exertion.

“We got this,” Finn said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“I'm a technician,” Rose panted. “This isn't my normal M.O.” But she nodded and prepared herself for the next run.

The group dashed out of the storage room and into the main hallway. They were met with blaster fire from several First Order staff of varying specialties. They weren't Stormtroopers, however, and many fled when the Resistance started firing back. Breaking into a run, Finn's group made its way to the center of the _Ascendancy_ and past, toward the west wing of the ship.

The further they ran without much resistance, the more worried Finn became. _This shouldn't be this easy_ , he thought. _Are the other groups causing_ that _much chaos?_

Rey came to a stop right as the group reached the central terminal. Hallways lead off in all directions, but Finn wasn't concerned about which way to go. He saw Rey stop, and stopped himself.

“Rey?”

“Run,” Rey said. “Keep going.” She readied her lightsaber and stared down a hallway leading to the front of the ship. Finn felt a cold chill creep him his spine.

“You heard her,” he cried. “ _Run._ ”

The four remaining Resistance members left the Jedi there to fend for herself. Finn couldn't help but feel guilty, but there was little that he could do to assist against whom he knew Rey had just sensed. They ran straight across the terminal, keeping with the symmetrical nature of the ship's schematics. They knew where the jail block was, and how to get there.

Rey stood steady, her lightsaber unwavering in front of her. She heard the heavy foot falls before she saw her opponent. Still clad in all black, Kylo Ren emerged from the southern-most corridor into the terminal, his dour face doing little to betray his intent. His lightsaber was not drawn, nor did he have any guards or Stormtroopers with him. He reached up and removed the billowing cloak he'd been wearing, his eyes never leaving Rey's.

“Are you here to try to turn me?” Kylo Ren asked, his voice devoid of emotion. It had barely sounded like a question.

Rey didn't shake her head. She didn't blink. “I'm here to save lives,” she replied. “To save them from Kylo Ren.” She could feel the anger building up in her chest, the result of their previous encounter on the _Supremacy_. Anger and sadness, both.

“There is nothing to save,” Kylo Ren replied simply. “I am me now, whether you believe that to be Ben or Kylo Ren. It matters not. They are one and the same.”

Rey shook her head slowly, her eyes trained on Kylo Ren before her. “I'm done trying to prove to you that you're not Kylo Ren,” she said.

“Then why are you here?” her opponent asked.

Rey allowed herself a small smile. “I'm here for the Resistance.”

“A statement full of pride and confidence,” Kylo Ren replied with the slightest hint of a sneer. “Do you know what I had to go through after Skywalker's little stunt on that salt-blasted planet in order to take control of _my_ troops? You and yours humiliated me.”

“Doesn't seem that hard to do,” Rey quipped. “I saw how much firepower you threw at a fake image. That wasn't our doing, that was all you, Ben.”

Kylo Ren lifted his head, his eyes furious. “And now you're on _my_ flagship, disrupting _my_ plans. If you thought Snoke was intimidating, you haven't seen anything yet.”

This time, her smile wasn't small. Rey full-on grinned. “Bring it.”

 

The cell blocks weren't far past the next sealed bulkhead, which Rose had BB-8 hack just as quickly as the first one. As soon as they were through, they encountered more Stormtrooper presence than before. Finn found himself felling First Order troopers left and right while hiding behind a cooling unit. Rose and the other Resistance members were doing just as well.

“It's like they knew we were coming this way,” Rose shouted with a laugh as she fired off three quick shots into the chest of a Trooper in front.

“I wonder how they figured that part out,” Finn shouted back, taking down two more Troopers with well-aimed shots.

Suddenly, the bottom fell out of Finn's stomach as the _Ascendancy_ lurched. The Stormtroopers, less braced than their Resistance targets, stumbled around the hallway before regaining their balance. Finn took out three more before they regained their footing.

“The others seem to be having fun,” Rose called. “I think the inertia dampeners are offline.”

“Either the fleet is having a field day out there, or the Infiltration team found the command center,” Finn replied.

“I like how we didn't 'infiltrate' anything. We invaded,” Rose said. The last Stormtrooper fell at her hand, and she stood up with a grin.

Finn rushed forward to the cell block door and opened it. A long hallway lay in front of him with cells lining either side. A Stormtrooper at the far end raised a rifle to fire on the intruder, but Finn was quicker on the draw. One pull of the trigger later, the Stormtrooper was flat on his back.

“ _Finn!_ ” An arm in an orange flight suit thrust out into the hallway and waved wildly. “Finn! Over here!”

Finn's feet could barely keep up with his heart. Before he knew it, he was kneeling in front of a battered-looking Poe, their hands clasped in one another's. Finn felt the warmth, the presence of Poe's hands, and suddenly he realized _exactly_ what he should say first.

“I'm so sorry, Poe. I'm so, so sorry,” Finn said, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He rested his head against the bars, hoping Poe wouldn't see the tears. His mind was flooded with the image of Poe's X-Wing exploding overhead, and his unwillingness to listen to Poe's apologies. He'd been so _stupid_. How could Poe ever forgive him for how he's acted?

“Shh. Stop. Stop,” Poe whispered, his forehead pressing up against the bars between them, tickling Finn's head with his unkempt hair. Finn could hear the tears thick in Poe's voice. “Just stop. I love you, Finn. There's nothing else. I'm just so glad you're here.” Finn saw the tears falling down Poe's cheeks. He felt his chest unclench, like he could suddenly breathe again.

Rose opened the cell door, allowing Finn to practically tackle Poe, his arms wrapping around his neck. They laughed and cried at the same time. Finn hugged him so tight, he thought they'd become one person. He couldn't get over the feeling of Poe under his hands. It felt so _right_. There, deep in the enemy's stronghold, Finn had never felt happier.

Finn leaned back onto his knees and helped Poe sit up again. “Can you stand?” Finn asked, wiping away his own tears.

“Stand, yes,” Poe replied. “But I don't know how much use I'll be for an escape. They roughed me up good before they threw me in here.”

Finn pulled out a backup blaster and handed it to Poe. “Then you just leave it to me.” He leaned forward and pressed a long kiss to Poe's forehead.

Poe shook his head. “You risked your lives for me,” he said. “But why? It would have been so much easier to just blow up the ship.”

“Because it was the right thing to do,” Finn answered.

Poe smiled weakly. “You need a pilot,” he replied with a chuckle.

Finn helped Poe to his feet and hugged him one last time. “I _do_ need a pilot. Thank the stars I found him.”

“As sweet as this is,” Rose said, tilting her head and smiling, “we should probably be thinking of a way off this ship. I don't really think it's a good idea to run the, what, four kilometers back to the shuttles. And I don't think the Commander can make that trek in his state.”

“I'd tell you all to just leave me here,” Poe said as he limped into the cell block hallway, “but you're all a bunch of crazy bastards who won't let me give my life for the cause. So let's get out of here.”

“I've got an idea,” Finn said from underneath Poe's arm, “but it's a long shot.”

“Those are the best kinds,” Poe said with a small shudder from his injuries. He looked around. “Hey, wait. Where's Rey?”

“She's on our way out,” Finn replied. “Rose, pull up your schematics. Let's get going.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This felt _really_ good to write.


	3. Finn, the Rebel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Poe in tow, Finn has to figure out how to help Rey against Kylo Ren _and_ escape the _Ascendancy_ in one piece.
> 
> Can Finn be the hero the Resistance needs once again?

The infiltration onto the _Ascendancy_ had been easy. Taking the hangar had been a snap. But fighting down a long corridor of Stormtroopers had not been quite so fun. Pemmi had always been a good shot, as evidenced by her assistance on Yavin Base during the first attack by the Order, but even she couldn't take down that many Troopers.

It was a good thing she had an entourage.

As soon as Captain Finn had ushered everyone into the main corridor of the ship, Pemmi had been on high alert. Blaster fire was a way of life for the rest of the mission – she had to deal with that. Her heart raced, her mouth dried up, and her eyes were constantly wide and on the lookout for that unique white armor. But she felt surprisingly safe, surrounded by the twelve other Resistance fighters in her squad.

They had surged toward the center of the ship from the outset of the mission, taking out as many First Order flunkies as possible. Pemmi wasn't keeping a tally of how many they took down, but they were littering the hallway with unconscious bodies or worse as they went. They also moved with some alacrity – the only thing that slowed them down was coming to a large sealed bulkhead near the center of the ship. They had detoured through a nearby corridor – they all had the droid uplink system in their wrist consoles, but were instructed to leave the droid hacking to Rose unless absolutely necessary. That meant taking the long way around to their destination.

Pemmi had been the first one to realize that they'd stumbled across a major communications server room. With a grin, she lit up the computers with her blaster. They also knocked out every specialist that wouldn't surrender. _That_ should slow down the Order's reaction to the invasion, and possibly help the fighters outside.

Beyond that room, they entered another corridor that lead to the main terminal in the center of the ship. The group piled out into the room and took stock of the many hallways leading off, referring to their schematics for assistance. Once they found the primary control room, they surged forward down that hallway, taking out more Stormtroopers as they went. Not everything went so smoothly, however. Some of the Troopers got off a few good shots, and the Resistance's numbers began to see losses, as well.

About a kilometer and four dead Resistance members later, the party arrived at the primary control room. They dispatched the guards with relative ease – their communications still seemed to be down – and they sliced into the door.

The bridge was enormous, but not well-guarded. It was manned by several dozen specialists, but only a few of them reacted to the sudden intrusion with blasters. This was the bridge, after all, and one stray bolt could accidentally cut off life support to the entire ship.

“This ship is now under the control of the Resistance,” a Lieutenant from Pemmi's group named Masoni called out. “Drop your weapons and step away from the consoles.

“What can we do for you?” The voice was filled with disdain, but was not impolite. In the center of the room was an officer with a bright shock of red hair and an expression that looked like he was constantly sniffing something sour.

Pemmi blinked in disbelief. Was that _General Hux_?

“I repeat,” Hux said, his hands folded behind his back, “What is it you want? With but a button press, I can detonate this entire bridge. With another button press, I could summon a platoon of Stormtroopers here. Your lives are forfeit, so you may as well tell me your final wishes.”

Pemmi shivered. This man had a cold confidence that was completely out of place for his situation. He had three blasters trained on him, no help was coming, and he _still_ sounded like he'd won.

“You,” Hux said, his eyes falling on Pemmi. “I recognize you. You're the daughter of Admiral Rall, aren't you?”

 _Don't answer that_ , Pemmi heard the General's voice say in her head. She kept her blaster trained on Hux, unflinching.

“You _are_ ,” Hux said with a snide smirk. “How's dear old Daddy? Is he still doing well, locked away in a jail cell on Yavin? For all he's done for the Resistance, they sure were quick to jump on him for a single action. Such knaves.”

“Shut up,” Pemmi said through gritted teeth. “This ship is ours. You don't have any help coming – they can't hear you.”

For the first time, Pemmi caught a flash of insecurity in Hux's eyes. She smiled in her mind. _He doesn't know about the comms room._

Hux looked to a communications specialist at the side of the bridge. She shrugged and shook her head, her eyes wide. When Hux looked back at the Resistance, his eyes were furious.

This time, Pemmi grinned on the outside.

A few minutes later, the bridge had been cleared out of every First Order officer except General Hux and a skeleton crew of specialists. As most of the Resistance fighters were specialists in their own right, they were able to operate most of the consoles without much difficulty. The Resistance spread its blaster aim throughout the bridge to keep them cooperative, while some aimed at the newly-sealed door in case of an interruption.

“Disable the surface defenses and shields,” Lieutenant Masoni ordered. “And send a communicae to the _Assurance_.”

“You filth have no idea what you're doing,” Hux growled from his chair at the back of the bridge, where he'd been forced to retreat. “The might of the First Order will _crush you all_.”

“I'm terrified,” Masoni replied emotionlessly. Then to Pemmi, he said, “Can we do anything about those Star Destroyers?”

Pemmi checked the console in front of her. The primary long-range guns were operational. After some tinkering with her console, she laughed at how easy they were to use. She nodded.

“Lock onto one of them and fire,” Masoni ordered.

Hux screamed in frustration. “ _YOU BASTARDS! YOU FILTH! YOU SCUM!_ ” His face turned a deep redviolet as rage overtook him. One of the Resistance guards shot him in the chest, his blaster set to stun. Hux fell silent and crumpled into his chair.

Pemmi hit the trigger button and looked out the front window. She could still see the wild firepower of the battle out in space, but suddenly the _Ascendancy_ 's guns added to the glow, heading straight for one of the Order's own battle cruisers. Unsuspecting, the sheer power of the blasts penetrated the ship in several places. A chain reaction started, and within seconds the entire ship had detonated in space.

Pemmi felt a tinge of guilt, as she knew that thousands of First Order lives had just been ended from a single button press, and who knew how many of them were just doing their jobs. She shook it off – the Order was still new enough that the majority of their personnel were dedicated to their cause. There was little reason to mourn people like that.

“Lock onto the other cruiser and open fire when you can,” Masoni ordered. “Then make a general announcement. Those systems are still up and running, right?”

The First Order communications specialist nodded silently.

“Good. Let's give the First Order another reason to hate us.”

 

Finn _knew_ this mission had been going too well.

As soon as his group made it back out to the main corridor, his heart sank. No less than twenty Stormtroopers stood with rifles raised, but what Finn saw first was the chrome metal of one Captain Phasma standing between him and the firing squad.

“Oh, come on,” Poe muttered, still leaning on Finn for support.

“How is it,” Phasma's metallic voice sounded through her helmet, “that you are always at the center of things, FN-2187?”

“Better question,” Finn replied sharply, “is how do you keep coming back from the dead?”

Phasma chuckled, a sound that did nothing but anger Finn. “You assume you've ever done anything that would kill me,” she said.

 _No, that's fair, I did make that assumption,_ Finn admitted to himself. But he would never admit that to Phasma.

“So what's the holdup?” Poe asked. “Why aren't we dead?”

“A few reasons, really,” Phasma said. “The most important of which being that I want to see 2187 squirm.”

“You First Order types are always _so arrogant_ ,” Finn replied. “I mean, come on. _The Ascendancy_? Really? What's Kylo compensating for?”

“You will hold your tongue or you will lose more than your voice,” Phasma growled, but Finn just laughed.

“I'm done being scared of you, Phasma,” he replied. He slipped out from under Poe's arm, allowing Rose to help keep him steady. Finn faced Phasma straight on. “If you're going to kill me, kill me.”

“Finn.” Poe watched closely, his heart in his throat.

“You always were one of my favorites,” Phasma said with almost a sad sigh. She raised her rifle and aimed it at Finn's chest. “Goodbye, FN-2187.”

“Goodbye,” Finn replied, a confident smirk on his face.

Phasma hesitated. Why was 2187 so...smug?

That's when she heard the quick, heavy footfalls behind her. The low growl. Then suddenly, she was lifted up, off the ground by two large, furry arms wrapped around her torso, pinning her arms to her sides. She dropped her rifle in surprise, and struggled helplessly against the sheer strength of a full-grown Wookie.

The other Stormtroopers moved to look at Chewbacca, but before they could so much as aim their weapons, a storm of blasterfire rendered the entire troop unconscious. Finn grinned as the second half of the Resistance infiltration team appeared in the clearing smoke behind Chewbacca.

Phasma continued to struggle, but Chewbacca held her tight.

The sound of a droid rolling along the ground reached Finn's ear. BB-8 came streaking into view, rolling between two Resistance members and over the downed bodies of several Stormtroopers on his way to Poe. He beeped wildly as he rolled up to the battered pilot.

Poe carefully lowered himself to his knees and put his hands on BB-8's chassis. He smiled warmly and said, “I'm okay, buddy. Really. Finn made sure of it.”

BB-8 swiveled its eye to look up at Finn, and for the first time, he completely understood what the little droid was telling him.

“Thank you, Finn.”

Finn smiled down at the droid, then looked up at the helpless Captain Phasma. “Well, Phasma,” he said, feeling much more confident now than before Chewbacca had stepped in, “what do you have to say now?”

“There's no way you'll get off of this ship,” Phasma spat. “The Order will destroy you.”

A general announcement sounded over the comms system throughout the _Ascendancy_. “This is Lieutenant Orello Masoni of the Resistance. The _Ascendancy_ is under our control. Self-destruct sequences have been initiated. You have five minutes to vacate the ship.”

The emergency lights blinked on, and alarms began to sound.

“The self-destruct?” Rose gasped. “That's kind of overkill, isn't it?”

“This ship doesn't have a self-destruct sequence,” Phasma replied. “It's a bluff. But it will work. Most of the officers don't know that.” She turned her head to address Chewbacca. “You've won. You can set me down.”

“Don't you dare,” Finn warned Chewbacca. Phasma felt Chewie's grip tighten and she grunted in discomfort.

“We have the schematics for the ship,” Rose told Phasma with her arms crossed. “We know there _is_ a self-destruct sequence.”

Finn turned his comms device on and immediately heard one Pemmi Rall hailing him. “Captain, please come in.”

“This is Finn.”

“Oh, good. Captain, we have _not_ initiated the self-destruct. We're trying to get as many First Order goons off the ship as possible.”

Finn smirked. “I had a feeling it was something like that.”

“I have some bad news, Sir. Rey and Kylo Ren have disappeared.”

“What?” Finn was _sure_ he had misheard that.

“They duked it out in the main terminal for a while, but the cameras there were damaged,” Pemmi replied. “We have no idea where they are now.”

“Does Kylo Ren have monitoring in his personal quarters?” Finn asked.

“No. Someone would have to go check.”

“I'm on it,” Finn said. “What's the situation outside?”

“We destroyed both battle cruisers. The TIE fighters have scattered. We won, Finn.”

“Not yet. We have to make sure we all get out of here,” Finn replied.

“Right. May the Force be with you, Sir.”

“You, too.” He turned to Poe, who had returned to using Rose as a crutch of sorts. “You guys get back to the _Assurance_. I'm going to go look for Rey.”

Poe frowned, but he didn't argue. Finn saw the look in his eye and smiled. “I'll be fine.” He looked at Rose. “I'm trusting you to get him back to the ship.”

“Got it,” she replied.

Chewie growled something, Phasma still in his arms. Poe's eyebrows went up. “Oh, the _Falcon_ is docked on board? Sure. Let's head that way.”

Rose walked Poe past Finn, but not before Poe gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Promise me you'll try to make it home,” Poe said, his eyes stern.

“I promise,” Finn replied with a grin. “And I'll be back with Rey.”

 

Finn and the two other Resistance members accompanying him found the _Ascendancy_ to be much less threatening whenever everyone was charging to various escape pods and hangars to evacuate the ship as quickly as possible. Even though Stormtroopers _clearly_ saw them running down the main corridor, they didn't seem to care, instead opting to let bygones be bygones in their rush to abandon ship.

 _This certainly trumps my idea,_ Finn admitted. _Although most plans would probably fare better than my “use the comms system to rally a coup of Stormtroopers” plan._

They reached the central terminal and Finn had to stop to process what he saw. Supports were sliced in half. Sparks rained down from cut wiring overhead. Terminals were crushed, or _thrown_ _across the room_. A small war had occurred here, and Rey was still fighting it.

Using his wrist console as a guide, Finn found the appropriate corridor to lead him to Kylo Ren's personal quarters. As they made their way down the hall, however, they were stopped by a lone figure further ahead. Finn recognized him immediately – Mavo Ren, the Knight of Ren he'd fought at the Order's weapons depot. Finn cursed under his breath. He'd known Mavo was capable of catching up, but to be _here_ of all places was just inconvenient.

“Get out of my way,” Finn said, raising a blaster to aim at Mavo's chest.

Mavo Ren chuckled behind his Ren mask. “That's no way to treat an old friend.” He raised his hand up near his ear and twitched his wrist. Finn's blaster went flying out of his hand, clattering harmlessly on the ground in front of him. Mavo jerked both hands this time, and Finn heard yelps from the Resistance members behind him, followed by heavy thumps. Turning to look at them, Finn saw the both of them unconscious, having been slammed forcefully into the wall and left to collapse to the floor.

“I can't have you interrupt my master's fun,” Mavo Ren said quietly. “You see, he's currently teaching that naïve little girl a thing or two about the Force. It would have been _marvelous_ to watch, but alas, I had to come and make sure you didn't end it prematurely.”

“This ship's about to explode,” Finn said through gritted teeth, “I seriously doubt you want to go down with it. I'm just trying to get Rey before it blows.”

“It's been far longer than five minutes,” Mavo Ren replied casually. “By now, the First Order shuttles are turning around, realizing that they've been had. Soon, you'll have the full weight of our power pressing down on you.”

“Been there, done that,” Finn growled.

“Fair enough,” Mavo replied. “Then let's expedite this, shall we?” Suddenly, his lightsaber was in his hand and activated. He charged Finn with inhuman speed, bearing down on him before he could even react.

Finn ducked to the side, narrowly missing the deadly lightsaber blade coming down. He used his momentum to bring up his leg in a roundhouse that connected square with Mavo's free shoulder, throwing the dark Jedi forward before he could regain his balance. Finn raised his hands, ready to defend himself once again.

Mavo looked at Finn, his expression unreadable behind his mask. “You were trained by the Order,” he said with almost admiration in his voice. “It's so obvious.” He readied his lightsaber. “A pity I have to kill someone as skilled as you.”

“If you can,” Finn hissed.

Mavo Ren charged again, but this time his free hand reached out for Finn first, the Force pinning Finn's hands to his sides and rendering his legs almost useless. Painfully aware of his vulnerable state, Finn leaned back to avoid the lateral slash of the lightsaber, allowing gravity to deliver him from harm this time. He slammed hard onto the corridor floor, almost knocking the breath out of his own lungs. Mavo Ren stood over him, amused.

“I've failed to kill you twice now,” he said, pleased. “It is fun to hunt. But it is time to end this charade.” He raised his lightsaber for the coup de grace, but Finn rolled _onto_ Mavo Ren's foot. With what little strength he could muster versus the dark Jedi's hold, Finn pressed a button on a device on his belt. Mavo Ren cried out in agony as an overwhelming electrical charge took hold of both of them. Forced to stand still thanks to Finn pinning his foot down, the electrocution continued for several seconds, Mavo Ren writhing and screaming the entire time. Mavo fell to his knees and dropped his lightsaber, which clattered to the ground with an electrical discharge.

Finn, mostly protected from the charge by his jacket's material, rolled off of Mavo Ren's foot and grabbed the lightsaber. In one quick movement, Finn activated the blade and brought it up and through Mavo Ren's shoulders, cleaving his head from the rest of his body. When Mavo's body collapsed, Finn deactivated the lightsaber and allowed himself to finally feel the pain of his foolhardy stunt.

Collapsing onto his back, Finn found it difficult to breathe. He could feel his heart thumping away, far faster than it should. The bottoms of his boots were smoking. He stared up at the darkly lit corridor, unsure if it was truly that dark, or if his eyes just didn't want to take in any light.

Oh, how he wanted to close his eyes and recover, but Rey's face flashed through his mind when he closed them. That gave him a start, and he soon found himself standing dazedly on his feet, facing in the direction of the Supreme Leader's private quarters. He staggered forward, his mind only focusing on the well-being of his friend.

When Finn reached the Supreme Leader's chambers, he almost collapsed as soon as he made it through the door. He surveyed the room and saw no acrobatic lightsabers, no Jedi tricks, no deadly combat.

Instead, he saw Rey collapsed at the foot of Kylo Ren's throne, barely conscious.

Unconcerned that he had yet to see Kylo Ren himself, Finn felt a rush of adrenaline clear his mind and strengthen his legs. He made it to his feet and dashed over to Rey's injured form, kneeling down and taking her hand in his.

“Rey. Rey! Say something,” Finn pleaded.

Rey's eyes fluttered open, but her eyes didn't focus for a moment. Finally, she managed to look up at Finn. She smiled weakly. “Finn,” she whispered through her smile, “Finn, you're alive.”

“So are you,” Finn replied, smiling back sadly. “But you're pretty busted up. What happened?”

Rey raised a hand to press on her forehead as she slowly sat up. “I fought Ben, but he retreated to his...here.” She looked around, almost confused. “He...he won our fight. He told me I had failed as a Jedi, and that the Force was foolish to raise up the light against him.”

“You mean he beat you? And you're still alive?” Finn couldn't believe his ears.

Rey nodded, uncertainty crossing her face. “He looked like he wanted to kill me,” she said. “He even raised his blade. But he...couldn't. Something in his face. It told me he wasn't going to hurt me. I let myself pass out when I saw it.” She looked up at Finn, smiling. “And then suddenly you were here.”

Finn looked around the room for the first time. It was shockingly red with black trim everywhere, but there was no sign of Kylo Ren at all. “It looks like he evacuated when we turned on the self-destruct alarms,” Finn speculated. “Maybe that's why he felt okay to leave you here – you'd die in the explosion, and not by his hand.”

“That does sound like Ben,” Rey replied quietly. “Poe. Did you find Poe?”

Finn smiled. “No more talking, Rey. Let's get you out of here.”

Rey allowed Finn to lift her, leaning into his chest and losing consciousness once more. Despite his injuries and fatigue, Finn gladly walked his way back to the central terminal, where the other Resistance members had gathered to await his return. Soon, they were on their way back to the _Assurance_.

 

Mavo Ren had been correct about one thing. Eventually, many of the First Order escapees attempted to return to the _Ascendancy_ after realizing it had not, in fact, blown itself up. Lieutenant Masoni and the rest of the Resistance, however, had left them a present. Thanks to BB-8 and some clever slicing, the moment the First Order tried to open communications with any nearby outposts, it trigged a system reponse to re-instate the self-destruct sequence.

With only five seconds left on the clock.

As Finn's shuttle docked in an open hangar on the _Assurance_ , he felt the heat from the explosion hit the back of his neck. He turned to see the quickly-dying flames engulfing the _Ascendancy_ smother and burn out as the ship broke into several parts. The best news was that many of the First Order troops had not yet made it to the ship, evident by the number of escape pods and evac shuttles still floating out in the surrounding space, so casualties were actually kept to a surprising minimum.

Finn smiled at that. There had been too much needless bloodshed already in this war.

The medbay on the _Assurance_ was smaller than the one Finn had awoken in on the _Raddus,_ but it had enough space for the wounded from the mission. Finn found himself seated between two beds in particular, with Rose on the far side of one and Jess Pava on the far side of the other. Rey slept soundly after the medical droids had identified her as stable, and Poe was informed that he should rest, as well.

As if Poe had _ever_ followed a medical droid's instructions.

Instead, Poe asked Finn to tell him the whole story about what had happened during his absence. He heard about Mavo Ren – both encounters – and suppressed the urge to punch Finn for endangering himself the way he did. He asked Jess to tell him about the victory over the Order outside the _Ascendancy_. He asked Rose to tell him about her thoughts on being in the thick of it for real.

Overall, Poe just wanted people to talk to him. Finn watched and listened with a warm smile on his face and Poe's hand in his. As they sat there talking together, Finn felt a billowing warmth on the inside of his chest, like a small star had risen where his heart should be. He wondered if Poe could feel it, too.

Their eyes met, and Finn knew the answer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with me through Finn's adventures.
> 
> When I started writing for Finn's arc, I wasn't sure how I could make him a hero. His primary traits in the films are: "care for friends" and "runs from danger." I had one hell of a time trying to make something worthy of a hero of the Resistance while staying important to Finn and not focusing on Poe.
> 
> This story wraps up Finn's arc, and I'm really proud of how it turned out. It also sets up the beginning of Rey's arc, which will effectively end the First Order and the End of an Era series.
> 
> Thanks again for sticking with me through all this. Hope to catch you back on Yavin with Rey!


End file.
